Arch support



Oct. 25. 1927. 1,646,920

'0. LlVIGNANO ARCH SUPPORT Filed March 4. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheer 1 D.LIVIGNANO 1,646,920

ARCH SUPPORT Oqt. 25. 1927.

Filed March 4. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n5 as Patented Oct. 25, 1927.

UNITED STATES IDANIIEIIZI LIVIGNAIN'O, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

Anon SUPPORT.

Application filed March 4, 1926. Serial N0. 92,146.

One of the difiiculties encountered in the.

treatment of foot troubles, particularly those resulting from a fallenor broken arch, is that of making proper adjustment to an arch supportas the patient is recovering. If rigid arch supports are used then it isnecessary to replace the entire support when adjustment becomesnecessary. If flexible supports which include padding are used, then itis diilicult to Jrevent the )addin from.

moving about in the shoe. Another source of difiiculty is the fact thatwhen arch sup-- the adjustmenthas been made.

A further object of the present invention is to make an arch support,which in addition to holding the arch in the proper position willfunction to maintain the toes separated, or at least will prevent onetoe from rising on and rubbing against an adjacent too.

I carry out my invention by making an arch support of flexible material,such as leather, and I provide a pocket within the support, in whichinserts of different thickness may be placed, so as to vary the overallthickness of the support. In addition to this, I so make the pocket thatthe inserts may be held in proper position without necessitating the useof securing means such as cement, or tacks. Moreover I so make my archsupport that pressure can be exerted upon the ball of the foot, andadjacent the center thereof. I have found that when pressure is exertedon the foot in this particular location, that the tendency of the toesis to spread, and as a result I can overcome the tendency of one toe torise upon another.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an archsupport embodying my .invention and illustrating it in connection with ashoe which in shown diagrammatically; Figure 2 is a bottom perspectiveview of the support; Figure 3 is an upper plan view of the support;Figures 4,

5, and 6 are sections taken on planes inclicated by the correspondinglynumbered lines in igure 1; Figure 7 is a vertical transverse sectionthrough an arch support embodying my invention, and showing the pocketwithout an insert therein, and Figure 8 is a perspective view showinginserts which may be used in connection with my invention.

The arch support which I have shown has a sole 10 and an upper 11.Preferably, the sole extends partially into the upper and is shaped toconform with the shape of the arch of the foot. Moreover, this member ismade preferably of relatively hard leather which tends to hold itsshape, and functions in some respects the .same as counter of a shoe.The leather being hard is at the same time flexible so that there willbe a certain amount of give and will conform more readily with the archof the foot. The upper 11 may be attached to the sole 1n any convenientmanner. For example, the bottom edge may be fastened by securing members13, while the ends and sides may be cemented together. The interior ofthe upper and of the sole are covered by a suitable'lining 15 which maybe cemented and sewed in the usual way.

To make the arch support adjustable I provide a pocket into which piecesof mate rial of varying thickness may be inserted. In the preferredform, the pocket is made by fastening a substantially flat piece ofleather 18 on three sides thereof to the sole member 10. This leaves apocket which has an opening on the inner side of the support, and intowhich inserts of varying shapes and size may be inserted. An insertwhich is adapted for insertion into the pocket is shown, for example inFigure 8 at 20, as embodying two pieces of leather secured together andshaped to fit the pocket. Obviously, the size of the insert may bevaried in accordance with the requirements of the wearer. Moreover, theinsert will remain in adjusted position without the aid of cement orother securing means, yet can be readily removed for replacementpurposes.

To hold the support in a shoe I have shown the upper as having eyeletswhich are adapted to be engaged by the lacings of the shoe. This notonly tends to hold the support in proper position, but allows slightadjustment of the support with rela tion to the shoe;

To overcome the tendency of one toe to rise upon anotherfI have'foundthat beneficial results maybe obtained by exerting pressure upon theball of the foot, adjacent the central portion thereof. A convenient wayof accomplishing this is to provlde a small protuberance, such as thatindicated;

at 30 adjacent the forward portion of the sole member 10. This may "bemade by tapering off the leather to the desired shape.

The particular advantage of a support made in accordance with myinvention 1s the fact that it may be readily adjusted to suit'therequirements of the wearer merely Iclaim z A removable arch'supportadapted to lie within a shoe and correspond, therewith, comprising asole member and an ankle member merging with one edge of the sole memberby a gradual curve, the ankle member having adjacent its upper end acomparatively narrow upwardly extending tongue, a. comparatively smallnumber of eyelets in said tongue adapted to register with shoe eyelets,the portion of the ankle member in front of the tongue clearing the shoeeyelets, and a pocketformed on the underside of the sole member andcontaining a removable filler.

In testimony. whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

DANIEL'LIVIGNANO.

